Two
NAMES, USE AND GRAMMAR
Wittgenstein IS fairly persuasive on the theme, which
is anyway pretty obvious, that not all words, and not even all
nouns, are names. He is on to something more subtle when he
shows in various ways how, even when we think we are clear
about this, many of the things that puzzle us in philosophy
are troublesome at least partly because we press questions
which make sense only on the supposition that certain words
are names. The question 'What is the meaning of a word?',
when it means 'Which object is the meaning of a word?',
arises under such auspices, as do the questions 'What is
(which something is) an intention, a belief, an expectation?'Still, some words are names, and Wittgenstein is neither so
clear nor so well understood in the places where he seems to
suggest that there is a great deal more to understanding a
name than knowing the object, or family of objects, for which
it stands. He says we must also know its use; but what is that?
Most of us could not, without help, get much beyond suppos
ing that its use is to refer to objects like this, this and this; but
Wittgenstein is either sceptical about whether that is part of
the use at all, or uninterested in the fact that it is; and he
suggests that there is at least much more to the use of a name
than that, but gives us very little guidance on just what he has
in mind. What is this 'use', to which he alludes, but which he
scarcely describes?That problem arises from such passages in the Investiga
tions as the following:6. I set the brake up by connecting up rod and lever.' -- Yes,
given the whole of the rest of the mechanism. Only in conjunc
tion with that is it a brake-lever, and separated from its support it
is not even a lever; it might be anything, or nothing.
-7-
Questia Media America, Inc. www.questia.com
Publication Information: Book Title: Understanding Wittgenstein: Studies of Philosophical Investigations. Contributors: J. F. M. Hunter - author. Publisher: Edinburgh University Press. Place of Publication: Edinburgh. Publication Year: 1985. Page Number: 7.
Friday, July 10, 2009
Wittgenstein
In my opinion there is not a sharp line to be drawn between
philosophy and scholarship. Whatever philosopher I am
reading, I find the asking of philosophical questions to be an
indispensable tool of scholarship: such questions as 'If I take
this argument this way, is it a good argument? If not, is there a
better argument that can be read in the words in which this
one is expressed?', or 'Does what he seems to be saying here
make any sense, and if not is there any way of taking his
words so that they do make sense, or make better sense?' I find
that the pursuit of such questions leads me again and again to
a richer understanding of another philospher's problems, and
to an interpretation that not only passes scholarly tests, but
gives me a new respect for the author's views and arguments.
In Wittgenstein's case I find this leavening of scholarship
with philosophy to be particularly essential, because where
most other philosophers make every effort to minimise the
interpreter's task by careful and precise articulation, Wittgen
stein on the contrary seemed to make some point of avoiding
explaining what he wished to say. He prescribed work pro
grammes, but did not explain how to carry them out, or in
what way he thought their results would be relevant; he asked
questions but did not answer them; posed questions he
thought ought not to be asked, without saying so until much
later, and then only indirectly; asked apparently rhetorical
questions when it turned out he thought they called for care
ful answering; and (if I am right) contrived his most forth
right statements in such a way as to conceal the point he
wished to make.
No doubt some people will disagree with this description
of Wittgenstein's philosophical practice, but if, as I believe,
he does in this way systematically avoid expressing his
views, clearly the interpreter's task will be a peculiarly diffi
cult one, and there will be no way of understanding him
without the philosophical activity of carrying out his work
programmes, working out the significance of their results,
answering his questions, deciding which of them thought
deserved answers, and untangling his ambiguities and
obscurities of his apparently forthright position statements.
If you wonder sceptically what Wittgenstein's motivation
could be for hiding his views in the way I have described, the
answer is no doubt at the end of the Preface to the Philosophical Investigations
-viii-
Questia Media America, Inc. www.questia.com
Publication Information: Book Title: Understanding Wittgenstein: Studies of Philosophical Investigations. Contributors: J. F. M. Hunter - author. Publisher: Edinburgh University Press. Place of Publication: Edinburgh. Publication Year: 1985. Page Number: viii.
philosophy and scholarship. Whatever philosopher I am
reading, I find the asking of philosophical questions to be an
indispensable tool of scholarship: such questions as 'If I take
this argument this way, is it a good argument? If not, is there a
better argument that can be read in the words in which this
one is expressed?', or 'Does what he seems to be saying here
make any sense, and if not is there any way of taking his
words so that they do make sense, or make better sense?' I find
that the pursuit of such questions leads me again and again to
a richer understanding of another philospher's problems, and
to an interpretation that not only passes scholarly tests, but
gives me a new respect for the author's views and arguments.
In Wittgenstein's case I find this leavening of scholarship
with philosophy to be particularly essential, because where
most other philosophers make every effort to minimise the
interpreter's task by careful and precise articulation, Wittgen
stein on the contrary seemed to make some point of avoiding
explaining what he wished to say. He prescribed work pro
grammes, but did not explain how to carry them out, or in
what way he thought their results would be relevant; he asked
questions but did not answer them; posed questions he
thought ought not to be asked, without saying so until much
later, and then only indirectly; asked apparently rhetorical
questions when it turned out he thought they called for care
ful answering; and (if I am right) contrived his most forth
right statements in such a way as to conceal the point he
wished to make.
No doubt some people will disagree with this description
of Wittgenstein's philosophical practice, but if, as I believe,
he does in this way systematically avoid expressing his
views, clearly the interpreter's task will be a peculiarly diffi
cult one, and there will be no way of understanding him
without the philosophical activity of carrying out his work
programmes, working out the significance of their results,
answering his questions, deciding which of them thought
deserved answers, and untangling his ambiguities and
obscurities of his apparently forthright position statements.
If you wonder sceptically what Wittgenstein's motivation
could be for hiding his views in the way I have described, the
answer is no doubt at the end of the Preface to the Philosophical Investigations
-viii-
Questia Media America, Inc. www.questia.com
Publication Information: Book Title: Understanding Wittgenstein: Studies of Philosophical Investigations. Contributors: J. F. M. Hunter - author. Publisher: Edinburgh University Press. Place of Publication: Edinburgh. Publication Year: 1985. Page Number: viii.
Urban Social Processes
Urban development and integration processes
Home > Research > Social Sciences
Part of ’Urban Dynamics’ project
Objectives
The aim of this sub-project is to produce a geographical analysis of the Indian Territory with the problematic of integration of Indian cities and towns in the globalization process during the last three decades.
By integration, we mean the phenomena by which a more and more increasing number of localities (urban agglomerations, but also villages) become connected each with many others together with different areas worldwide, within a range of hierarchical systems operating at the regional, national and global level. This integration process is taking place by means of numerous networks, which concern the various sectors of the Indian social systems: cultural, societal and economic. Cities and towns are the nodes of these networks as well as the factors of their dynamics. This concept enables us to take into account different processes, working complementarily or in competition. This leads to a reorganisation of the Indian Territory.
The sub-project aims to map and to analyse the distribution of these urban agglomerations as well as the organisation of these networks.
Materials and Methods
The project gives great importance to automatic mapping and modeling.
Databases will be built at the national level, taking as base for the analysis, the 951 urban agglomerations of more than 50,000 inhabitants, the 593 Districts and the 32 States and Union Territories. The Data will be collected from the Census of India, from different Indian Ministries and from various sources, public and private publications as well as websites. Considering Indian companies, the work will concern the 2000 biggest ones, which account for about 70% of the industrial production at national level.
Home > Research > Social Sciences
Part of ’Urban Dynamics’ project
Objectives
The aim of this sub-project is to produce a geographical analysis of the Indian Territory with the problematic of integration of Indian cities and towns in the globalization process during the last three decades.
By integration, we mean the phenomena by which a more and more increasing number of localities (urban agglomerations, but also villages) become connected each with many others together with different areas worldwide, within a range of hierarchical systems operating at the regional, national and global level. This integration process is taking place by means of numerous networks, which concern the various sectors of the Indian social systems: cultural, societal and economic. Cities and towns are the nodes of these networks as well as the factors of their dynamics. This concept enables us to take into account different processes, working complementarily or in competition. This leads to a reorganisation of the Indian Territory.
The sub-project aims to map and to analyse the distribution of these urban agglomerations as well as the organisation of these networks.
Materials and Methods
The project gives great importance to automatic mapping and modeling.
Databases will be built at the national level, taking as base for the analysis, the 951 urban agglomerations of more than 50,000 inhabitants, the 593 Districts and the 32 States and Union Territories. The Data will be collected from the Census of India, from different Indian Ministries and from various sources, public and private publications as well as websites. Considering Indian companies, the work will concern the 2000 biggest ones, which account for about 70% of the industrial production at national level.
Social Theory
SOCIAL THEORY AND HIGHER EDUCATION
Professor Sheila Slaughter
Fall 2006
1:25 PM-4:25 PM
Meigs 218
Office hours: Tuesday 1:30-5:00PM. Office phone: 542-0571; Email:slaughtr@uga.edu
Course description. The course deals with social theory relevant to problems in high education. First we will deal with theories that treat the relation of higher education to its external environment. These theories deal with the relation of higher education to the society as a whole, and the relation between higher education and the state. Second, we will look at the place of women in higher education and feminist theory. Third, we will examine theories of organizations. Fourth, we will look at theories that deal with students: social stratification and questions of reproduction and socialization. Fifth, we will deal with the organization of knowledge: professionalization theories and sociology of science. Sixth, we will explore postmodern theory.
Course objectives. (1) Introduce social theories in historical as well as current context that address higher education problems; (2) Show how theory shapes our understanding of these problems; (3) Work through the limits and possibilities of these theories; (4) Explore ways of theorizing.; (5) Use theory to frame a problem of interest.
Course assignments. Students should come to class prepared. They should access the readings for the first day of class via e-reserves or library reserves. They should be prepared to discuss: (1) what problem(s) the theory addresses; (2) how the theory purports to explain the problem(s); (3) the assumptions implicit in the theory; (4) the analytical purchase provided on the problem(s) by the theory; (5) the types of methods the theory to which the theory lends itself; (6) the sorts of data that would be needed to use the theory productively; (7) what explanations the theory screens out; and (8) alternatives to the theory. Students will complete three papers. The first (20% of grade) uses the 8 preceding points to analyze a theory. The second (30%) does the same, using another theory. The third uses a theory to frame a problem of interest to the student (40%). The remaining 10% of the grade is based on contributions in class discussion.
Required texts. There are no required texts. The readings are on reserve in hard copy and electronically.
I. THE RELATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO SOCIETY
Week. 1. Marx and the Marxian tradition
McLellan, David. 2000. Karl Marx. Selected writings. 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press. Chapter 13. The German Ideology; Chapter 19. Wage labour and capital; Chapter 31. Theories of surplus value; Chapter 32. Capital.
Seidman, Steven. 1994.”Chapter 1: Grand visions: Auguste Comte and Karl Marx; Contested knowledge: Social theory in the postmodern era. London, Blackwell, 19-54.
1
Professor Sheila Slaughter
Fall 2006
1:25 PM-4:25 PM
Meigs 218
Office hours: Tuesday 1:30-5:00PM. Office phone: 542-0571; Email:slaughtr@uga.edu
Course description. The course deals with social theory relevant to problems in high education. First we will deal with theories that treat the relation of higher education to its external environment. These theories deal with the relation of higher education to the society as a whole, and the relation between higher education and the state. Second, we will look at the place of women in higher education and feminist theory. Third, we will examine theories of organizations. Fourth, we will look at theories that deal with students: social stratification and questions of reproduction and socialization. Fifth, we will deal with the organization of knowledge: professionalization theories and sociology of science. Sixth, we will explore postmodern theory.
Course objectives. (1) Introduce social theories in historical as well as current context that address higher education problems; (2) Show how theory shapes our understanding of these problems; (3) Work through the limits and possibilities of these theories; (4) Explore ways of theorizing.; (5) Use theory to frame a problem of interest.
Course assignments. Students should come to class prepared. They should access the readings for the first day of class via e-reserves or library reserves. They should be prepared to discuss: (1) what problem(s) the theory addresses; (2) how the theory purports to explain the problem(s); (3) the assumptions implicit in the theory; (4) the analytical purchase provided on the problem(s) by the theory; (5) the types of methods the theory to which the theory lends itself; (6) the sorts of data that would be needed to use the theory productively; (7) what explanations the theory screens out; and (8) alternatives to the theory. Students will complete three papers. The first (20% of grade) uses the 8 preceding points to analyze a theory. The second (30%) does the same, using another theory. The third uses a theory to frame a problem of interest to the student (40%). The remaining 10% of the grade is based on contributions in class discussion.
Required texts. There are no required texts. The readings are on reserve in hard copy and electronically.
I. THE RELATION OF HIGHER EDUCATION TO SOCIETY
Week. 1. Marx and the Marxian tradition
McLellan, David. 2000. Karl Marx. Selected writings. 2nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press. Chapter 13. The German Ideology; Chapter 19. Wage labour and capital; Chapter 31. Theories of surplus value; Chapter 32. Capital.
Seidman, Steven. 1994.”Chapter 1: Grand visions: Auguste Comte and Karl Marx; Contested knowledge: Social theory in the postmodern era. London, Blackwell, 19-54.
1
Wittgenstein
WITTGENSTEIN WROTE cryptically, and to make sense
of his prose is always a challenge. One method of coping with
this problem that I have found useful is that of working out
my own way of handling a problem with which he was
dealing. Sometimes when I have come, largely on my own, to
see a way through his difficulty, I found I had a vantage point
from which for the first time I could make some clear sense of
various remarks of his that had baffled me. That is by no
means a fast route to understanding Wittgenstein. One may
sometimes make a half a dozen attempts before the pieces
begin to fall into place, and there are all too many of his
themes on which it has not yet worked for me at all. But with
luck and patience, often enough it is rewarding; and when it
is, I am confronted with the question whether to present the
conclusions I have reached as my own views, or as interpreta
tions of Wittgenstein. In an earlier volume, Essays after Witt
genstein ( Toronto, 1973), I followed the former course: I
presented what I had to say as philosophy, rather than as
Wittgenstein scholarship; but I confessed my belief that on
many points I either had a correct interpretation of Wittgen
stein, or at least an interesting suggestion about how some of
his deliberations might be understood.
The studies in the present volume do, or do more of, what I
scarcely attempted in the earlier essays. They vary consider
ably in this respect, but they gravitate towards the scholar's
task of focusing closely on particular passages and themes,
bringing out in some detail the difficulties there are in under
standing them, projecting possible lines of interpretation,
and comparatively evaluating these in the light of whatever
textual evidence appears relevant.
of his prose is always a challenge. One method of coping with
this problem that I have found useful is that of working out
my own way of handling a problem with which he was
dealing. Sometimes when I have come, largely on my own, to
see a way through his difficulty, I found I had a vantage point
from which for the first time I could make some clear sense of
various remarks of his that had baffled me. That is by no
means a fast route to understanding Wittgenstein. One may
sometimes make a half a dozen attempts before the pieces
begin to fall into place, and there are all too many of his
themes on which it has not yet worked for me at all. But with
luck and patience, often enough it is rewarding; and when it
is, I am confronted with the question whether to present the
conclusions I have reached as my own views, or as interpreta
tions of Wittgenstein. In an earlier volume, Essays after Witt
genstein ( Toronto, 1973), I followed the former course: I
presented what I had to say as philosophy, rather than as
Wittgenstein scholarship; but I confessed my belief that on
many points I either had a correct interpretation of Wittgen
stein, or at least an interesting suggestion about how some of
his deliberations might be understood.
The studies in the present volume do, or do more of, what I
scarcely attempted in the earlier essays. They vary consider
ably in this respect, but they gravitate towards the scholar's
task of focusing closely on particular passages and themes,
bringing out in some detail the difficulties there are in under
standing them, projecting possible lines of interpretation,
and comparatively evaluating these in the light of whatever
textual evidence appears relevant.
Urban Social Processes
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What's this?
Europe as a Social Process and Discourse
Considerations of Place, Boundaries and Identity
Anssi Paasi
University of Oulu, Finland
During the 1990s competing images emerged of what constitutes European identity, who belongs to it, and what are its internal and external boundaries. This has forced reflection on the links between state territoriality, and territorialities occurring on and between other spatial scales. This paper analyses images of Europe, narratives on European identity, and how these images have implied different forms and conceptualizations of spatiality. Europe is understood as an experience, a structural body and an institution. Structural interpretations have traditionally been dominant, but now an institutional-bureaucratic view has taken a dominant position in defining what Europe is. Growing flows of refugees and immigrants call into question the state-centred identities and narratives of nationally bounded cultures. In the current situation a more cosmopolitan view is needed instead of the established, exclusive concept of place. The paper suggests that this can be done by understanding place as a cumulative archive of personal experience that is not bound with some specific location. Regions, for their part, may be understood as collective institutional structures. A challenge for research is to reflect how regions and places come together and what kind of spatial imaginaries and ideologies are involved in this process.
Advanced Search
Journal Navigation
Journal Home
Subscriptions
Archive
Contact Us
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Sign In to gain access to subscriptions and/or personal tools.
This Article
Full Text (PDF)
References
Alert me when this article is cited
Alert me if a correction is posted
Citation Map
Services
Email this article to a friend
Similar articles in this journal
Alert me to new issues of the journal
Add to Saved Citations
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Request Permissions
Request Reprints
Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Citing Articles via HighWire
Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Articles by Paasi, A.
Search for Related Content
Social Bookmarking
What's this?
Europe as a Social Process and Discourse
Considerations of Place, Boundaries and Identity
Anssi Paasi
University of Oulu, Finland
During the 1990s competing images emerged of what constitutes European identity, who belongs to it, and what are its internal and external boundaries. This has forced reflection on the links between state territoriality, and territorialities occurring on and between other spatial scales. This paper analyses images of Europe, narratives on European identity, and how these images have implied different forms and conceptualizations of spatiality. Europe is understood as an experience, a structural body and an institution. Structural interpretations have traditionally been dominant, but now an institutional-bureaucratic view has taken a dominant position in defining what Europe is. Growing flows of refugees and immigrants call into question the state-centred identities and narratives of nationally bounded cultures. In the current situation a more cosmopolitan view is needed instead of the established, exclusive concept of place. The paper suggests that this can be done by understanding place as a cumulative archive of personal experience that is not bound with some specific location. Regions, for their part, may be understood as collective institutional structures. A challenge for research is to reflect how regions and places come together and what kind of spatial imaginaries and ideologies are involved in this process.
Social Theory
The theorization of health issues is crucial both for understanding and as a guide for action. By providing a forum for academics and practitioners to engage with the theoretical development of the health debate, Social Theory & Health aims to develop the theoretical underpinnings of health research and service delivery.
The journal is of interest to scholars of health-related sociology; nursing, health and clinical psychologists; health and public policy analysts and theorists in related disciplines.
The importance of social theory for health promotion: from description to reflexivity
RUSSELL CAPLAN
Health Education Authority London, UK
Address for correspondence: Address for correspondence: Russell Caplan Health Education Authority Hamilton House Mabledon Place London WC1H 9TX UK
This paper argues that, contrary to much discussion on theory in health education/promotion, a definitive theoretical map is available for extending our understanding and enhancing our practice. This map consists of that vast pool of systematized social theory which preceded health education/promotion and which explains the descriptive terms in which it is thought about. This method of reflexive analysis combines two fundamental dimensions about the nature of scientific knowledge and the nature of society contained in the terms in which health education/promotion is presented. What emerges is a theoretical map consisting of four major approaches or paradigms with which to assess health education/promotion theories. Four models of health education are then briefly assessed according to this method of reflexive analysis. Within this analysis the terms of these models are situated in relation to more recent developments in health promotion policy demonstrating a more definite line of continuity in both thought and practice. In the study the terms health promotion and health education are used interchangeably—a common feature of current practice in the UK.
The journal is of interest to scholars of health-related sociology; nursing, health and clinical psychologists; health and public policy analysts and theorists in related disciplines.
The importance of social theory for health promotion: from description to reflexivity
RUSSELL CAPLAN
Health Education Authority London, UK
Address for correspondence: Address for correspondence: Russell Caplan Health Education Authority Hamilton House Mabledon Place London WC1H 9TX UK
This paper argues that, contrary to much discussion on theory in health education/promotion, a definitive theoretical map is available for extending our understanding and enhancing our practice. This map consists of that vast pool of systematized social theory which preceded health education/promotion and which explains the descriptive terms in which it is thought about. This method of reflexive analysis combines two fundamental dimensions about the nature of scientific knowledge and the nature of society contained in the terms in which health education/promotion is presented. What emerges is a theoretical map consisting of four major approaches or paradigms with which to assess health education/promotion theories. Four models of health education are then briefly assessed according to this method of reflexive analysis. Within this analysis the terms of these models are situated in relation to more recent developments in health promotion policy demonstrating a more definite line of continuity in both thought and practice. In the study the terms health promotion and health education are used interchangeably—a common feature of current practice in the UK.
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